Mina Philips

Hello everyone! My name is Mina Philips and I am the 2025 summer intern for the Lewistown Sentinel. I am 18 years old and a graduate of the Mifflin County High School class of 2024. I was born and raised in Lewistown and I am extremely excited to take on this role!

I was greatly influenced throughout my life by my father David Phillips, and especially by my grandparents Susan and Lynn Phillips. Both of my grandparents were teachers and extremely passionate about their professions, leading me to dream of following in their footsteps and hoping one day I will be an educator as well. My late grandfather Lynn was a talented and respected music teacher for a majority of his life, and my grandmother was an elementary school teacher for many years.

In my sophomore year of high school, I was in need of an elective on my schedule and despite not knowing much about journalism and what it consisted of, I signed myself up. That’s when I entered Miss (Ashlie) Crossons “newsroom” and although I was nervous at first, Miss Crosson set me up for success everyday. I continued taking her class for an additional two years. In those years, I worked on endless articles for the school newspaper “The Tyrian” and the district wide newsletter “The PawPrint.” At first, journalism was simply a last ditch effort to fill my schedule, but I quickly fell in love with writing and was blessed to have an excellent teacher who helped me grow every day.

After I graduated, I took a trip to visit my family in North Dakota and was offered an opportunity to be a sports stringer for The Sentinel. I came back home in October and have been with The Sentinel ever since. Along with covering sporting events, I am also a staff member at the Carousel Skating Rink and have been there for about a year and a half. When I’m not working, I enjoy being at home with a nice snack and a movie, hanging out with my siblings, or cuddling with my cat. On the off chance I do something outside of my house, I love amusement parks, swimming, and spending time with friends. I also spend a lot of time at my church and helping out where I can for them as well.

As I begin as the summer intern, I look forward to meeting new people, learning new things and growing as a writer and as a person. I plan to approach everyday with my very best effort and am very optimistic about taking on this role. Looking forward, I hope to get a degree in Elementary Education and work as a second grade teacher at some point in my early adult life. Although teaching is the ultimate end goal, I hope to stay connected with my love for journalism and writing in some capacity.